I have learned that a tracker is basically useless...

[Soycd]

Insurance comparing at the moment. Didn't put in that I had any alarm/tracker etc. just factory immobiliser. Then changed/tweaked it to add a tracker, price went UP! I think that if someone really wants to steal a vehicle, they will if you rely on alarms/trackers. I also wouldn't want to advertise that I had an alarm/tracker (stickers etc.) If the thief is dong a recky then they'll know to come prepared. I've got a bulldog wheel clamp and a steering wheel clamp and will look to locking the driver seat the wrong war around. Anything to slow them down.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

The phantom tracker appears to be installed by mobile engineers so it could easily be a very sloppy install, unfortunately, as was the useless Scorpion car system that my van came with.

Down to Vanbitz to get the job done properly and feel secure with the Growler/non starter. Not sure why I bother with the Meta systems tracker apart from the fact that the insurance insist on it; they are going to have to steal two cars and take multiple shunts to get it out.

 

[The Dotties]

The phantom tracker appears to be installed by mobile engineers so it could easily be a very sloppy install, unfortunately, as was the useless Scorpion car system that my van came with.

Down to Vanbitz to get the job done properly and feel secure with the Growler/non starter. Not sure why I bother with the Meta systems tracker apart from the fact that the insurance insist on it; they are going to have to steal two cars and take multiple shunts to get it out.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll come prepared, I’ve got the phone no. for webuyanycar.com

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll come prepared, I’ve got the phone no. for webuyanycar.com

You need extra people to drive the cars as well to get the best bang for your efforts.

 

[edbangeruk]

we Are looking at buying our first HM so been reading this post with some interes.

Has anyone use the Apple AirTags as a back up system seem to be very small and easy to hide.

AirTag

Attach AirTag to everyday items, like your keys or a backpack, to easily keep track of them in the Find My app.

www.apple.com

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[Guigsy]

we Are looking at buying our first HM so been reading this post with some interes.

Has anyone use the Apple AirTags as a back up system seem to be very small and easy to hide.

AirTag

Attach AirTag to everyday items, like your keys or a backpack, to easily keep track of them in the Find My app.

www.apple.com

Airtags require someone with an iPhone to be
within a dozen or so metres, typically for a good portion of a minute. You could drive off in a tagged motorhome and let the stolen goods cool off in a barn and chances are the that the airtag track wouldn't see them once it got too a main road. If you're lucky and the thief isn't wise, they could lead you right to it, but it's not something you could rely on.

They are good for losing things in populated areas. But not really a great security device.

 

[rwg]

Yes, a secondary tracker or air tag put somewhere difficult to get to makes a lot of sense. Either somewhere that requires dissasembly of stuff to get to or even better perhaps a place that can only be accessed from outside the van, which would mean it could not be found/removed while the theives were on the road getting away with the van.

I wonder if a tracker would work tucked away under a solar panel on the roof - either get 12V to it or have a battery powered one. Would need to be removed from outside the van with a ladder, and also maybe less likely to be jammed as it is outside the bodyshell and presumably any jammer would be inside while the thieves are driving off.

cheers,

Robin

 

[Brains]

we Are looking at buying our first HM so been reading this post with some interes.

Has anyone use the Apple AirTags as a back up system seem to be very small and easy to hide.

AirTag

Attach AirTag to everyday items, like your keys or a backpack, to easily keep track of them in the Find My app.

www.apple.com

Given that they only cost about £25, it might be worth getting one.
But as listed above, they only really work in an urban environment with multiple users with iPhones passing nearby.

Airtags also now give out a random 'beep' every few hours, so that stalkers who have slipped one into the bag or pocket of their target will get alerted eventually, which means that any thief, if they sit around long enough, will find the airtag eventually.

Having said which, my brother had his motorbike stolen, in the centre of London, by professionals.
They managed to find and disable both the trackers within 5 mins.
However they did not find the airtag under the seat cover, which lead the police to the bike, in a railway arch, 30 mins after it was stolen. It's possible the location was given away by the thieves having iPhones.

 

[Guigsy]

Given that they only cost about £25, it might be worth getting one.
But as listed above, they only really work in an urban environment with multiple users with iPhones passing nearby.

Airtags also now give out a random 'beep' every few hours, so that stalkers who have slipped one into the bag or pocket of their target will get alerted eventually, which means that any thief, if they sit around long enough, will find the airtag eventually.

Having said which, my brother had his motorbike stolen, in the centre of London, by professionals.
They managed to find and disable both the trackers within 5 mins.
However they did not find the airtag under the seat cover, which lead the police to the bike, in a railway arch, 30 mins after it was stolen. It's possible the location was given away by the thieves having iPhones.

There's on option on iPhones to switch the relay of airtag positions off. I suspect crims will quickly learn to use it.

 

[mitzimad]

You need extra people to drive the cars as well to get the best bang for your efforts.

when they broke into my neighbours to get car keys they took 4 cars in as many minutes assuming they had a driver to get there thats at least five of them the days of the lone thief are long gone

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[Guigsy]

A friend with a nice car got followed home. When he got indoors, a guy knocked and tried to get in. When my friend slammed the door on him, a group of them appeared and smashed his kitchen window in full view of a main road. After a couple of minutes of threats and them failing to get past the jagged broken glass, they gave up and disappeared. They can be brazen and often don't work alone.

 

[pampam]

6.35 am a young woman in her mini,leaving the village had a car pull in front of her and slow down ,a van came up behind her ,when she pulled out onto the road he came up beside and shouted at her to pull over and give them her effin keys ,the young woman managed to speed away went on to main road and into hotel carpark and hotel,the van and car drove off went to a nearby village knocked on door and then crowbarred door to open demanding carkeys off the couple inside……they obviously have no fear of repercussions eh?

 

[Dorwyn]

Commiserations, have a drive along the probable route to see if you can spot it
For the tracker they probably knew where it was before they stole the vehicle and just dismantled on the way and threw it out the window.
Probably better to have 2 trackers or a dummy one that's easily located.
Put some photos up on here with van details.

That was my plan with the new van. I couldn't find the old tracker, so it must have gone with the van that was stolen, ironically. I have had a tracker installed in the new van, but it did occur to me that professional installers will have their own favourite places that thieves could already know. I think they are winning. B*stards!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

when they broke into my neighbours to get car keys they took 4 cars in as many minutes assuming they had a driver to get there thats at least five of them the days of the lone thief are long gone

If they are that serious then they can have them. Neither of them worth much at all

 

[Brody]

we Are looking at buying our first HM so been reading this post with some interes.

Has anyone use the Apple AirTags as a back up system seem to be very small and easy to hide.

AirTag

Attach AirTag to everyday items, like your keys or a backpack, to easily keep track of them in the Find My app.

www.apple.com

I've got an airtag attached to my cat....... well I did have until he lost his collar!

It worked well though, I found out where he was going for days at a time

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[WESTY66]

I’m very sorry to hear of your woes, so here I go again, this kind of thing happens and the tracker people give you a nice call telling you where your van is being destroyed/burnt out or in your case where the black box is, I have the Metatrak non starter/Growler installed by Vanbitz. I can stop the engine being started just by a few taps on the app and also having the growler fitted it’s gonna make a hell of a din whilst they are “trying” to start it even if they had the keys on them, it’s going nowhere, absolutely nowhere. The picture below is a funsters sons van being had a go at in storage for a good while with the non starter activated….

THEY DID NOT GET THE VAN STARTED!!!

And the nice guys at meta put it all back together Photo courtesy of SmithsInFrance

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I’m very sorry to hear of your woes, so here I go again, this kind of thing happens and the tracker people give you a nice call telling you where your van is being destroyed/burnt out or in your case where the black box is, I have the Metatrak non starter/Growler installed by Vanbitz. I can stop the engine being started just by a few taps on the app and also having the growler fitted it’s gonna make a hell of a din whilst they are “trying” to start it even if they had the keys on them, it’s going nowhere, absolutely nowhere. The picture below is a funsters sons van being had a go at in storage for a good while with the non starter activated….

THEY DID NOT GET THE VAN STARTED!!!
View attachment 663245

And the nice guys at meta put it all back together Photo courtesy of SmithsInFrance

Precisely why I have one

 

[WESTY66]

Precisely why I have one

Me too, wouldn’t be without it

 

[Wack]

I was more interested in how they over came the electronic key fob and started the engine .

€499 further up the thread

 

[Phill D]

I was informed by track star on Friday that my tracker , fitted 10 years ago on a lifetime subscription when Stikeback was fitted, is with immediate effect no longer supported. They no longer have the software to support it.
Ba****ds.
Fortunately, in the same period Stikeback has not missed a beat and still extremely effective.
Have had to inform the insurance company so I am still covered. They said all fine as I have strikeback.
Phew!

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[Stealaway]

€499 further up the thread

Sorry I still can't find it

 

[Wack]

Sorry I still can't find it

Looking at your username I'm not sure I should re post it

Fiat Bypass - Emergency Start Tool

Allows emergency start of the car - without original key.

shop.carlabimmo.com

 

[Wack]

I suppose I'm quite lucky in that I have quite a long front garden, the motorhome is parked behind 2 cars overnight , it is immobilised with a 3rd party product and always has a disk lock on it .
Something you could fo to make theft more difficult is don't reverse it on your drive

Having to back it off in the dark is much more time consuming than start and go

 

[Stealaway]

Looking at your username I'm not sure I should re post it

Fiat Bypass - Emergency Start Tool

Allows emergency start of the car - without original key.

shop.carlabimmo.com

Thanks for that, I thought it would be something similar.
Having made a secure obd cover now sounds like an excellent idea.

 

[Dutch 68]

I suppose I'm quite lucky in that I have quite a long front garden, the motorhome is parked behind 2 cars overnight , it is immobilised with a 3rd party product and always has a disk lock on it .
Something you could fo to make theft more difficult is don't reverse it on your drive

Having to back it off in the dark is much more time consuming than start and go

Just take 2 front wheels off, job jobbed

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[Stealaway]

Just take 2 front wheels off, job jobbed

I don't have jack safe enough, a wheel brace long enough and them wheels are blooming heavy. What do you put underneath the van instead of the wheels?

 

[Googlebot]

Just take 2 front wheels off, job jobbed

Nope, they just bring wheels to nick it.

 

[Wack]

I don't have jack safe enough, a wheel brace long enough and them wheels are blooming heavy. What do you put underneath the van instead of the wheels?

Axle stands are surprisingly cheap ,£17 each Inc delivery

 

[Wack]

Nope, they just bring wheels to nick it.

Why would they do that when there'll be another not far away , they're not going to be fitting wheels, takes too long

 

[Googlebot]

Why would they do that when there'll be another not far away , they're not going to be fitting wheels, takes too long

If they want it, they will bring the wheels.

Much quicker and quieter to add wheels than cut off clamps, disable alarms, remove steering lock etc.

It used to be a thing with caravans where they would take the wheels off. The thieves just brought their own along.

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